3000 Days in Ireland

As of today I’ve been living in Ireland for 3,000 days. That’s a little over 8 years. And when you put it together with the 12 years I lived in Scotland, then I’ve been living outside of my home country of England for over 20 years.

In another few years, I’ll have been living outside of England for longer than I ever lived there.

And although England will always be my nation of birth, and my accent will always identify me as English, the length of time away has shifted my allegiances somewhat. For international sporting events, for example, I feel much more allegiance to the Irish team than I do for the English.

I guess England no longer feels like home to me. Sure, it’s where I grew up, and it’s where I have family. But in my case, my feeling of connection to England has faded over time. And as such, I don’t really harbour any desire to return.

Even though you’ve been living outside of England longer than in it, I am surprised that you would shift allegiance. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but I’m still waiting for the time that happens to me. I’ve been living outside of my home country longer than I’ve lived in it, but when it comes to football, there’s no team like Croatia :)